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Which car voltage converter should you choose?
Manufacturers of modern cars equip them with a large number of various electronic devices that are connected to the on-board DC network with a voltage of 12V. Quite often, when moving away from utilities and stationary electrical networks, it becomes necessary to connect various devices powered by 220V AC power to the car's power supply system. For this purpose, a car voltage converter is used, which is called an inverter. For further details, go here: best power inverter for car
Car inverter concept
A car inverter is an electronic device in which an incoming 12V DC current is converted into a series of pulses applied to a transformer device with a boost or buck function. By using a step-down transformer at the output of the device, the pulse train is rectified using an RC filter and a lower voltage DC current is obtained. Such a voltage converter 24 12 is used by drivers of trucks and other types of special equipment, the voltage of the on-board network of which is 24 volts. It allows you to charge mobile phones and other similar devices.
If it is necessary to obtain at the output of an automobile AC converter, the design of the device becomes more complicated. A simple increase in voltage to the required value using a transformer will not be enough here. It is necessary to bring the output waveform close to the correct sinusoid to ensure the normal functioning of the connected devices. The formation of the output signal is provided by rather complex generation circuits; step-up transformers are quite heavy and large.
Selection rules
By output power
Car inverter concept
A car inverter is an electronic device in which an incoming 12V DC current is converted into a series of pulses applied to a transformer device with a boost or buck function. By using a step-down transformer at the output of the device, the pulse train is rectified using an RC filter and a lower voltage DC current is obtained. Such a voltage converter 24 12 is used by drivers of trucks and other types of special equipment, the voltage of the on-board network of which is 24 volts. It allows you to charge mobile phones and other similar devices.
If it is necessary to obtain at the output of an automobile AC converter, the design of the device becomes more complicated. A simple increase in voltage to the required value using a transformer will not be enough here. It is necessary to bring the output waveform close to the correct sinusoid to ensure the normal functioning of the connected devices. The formation of the output signal is provided by rather complex generation circuits; step-up transformers are quite heavy and large.
Selection rules
By output power
- Voltage converters with a capacity of up to 300 watts are used to charge smartphones and ensure the operation of laptops. This is the lowest-power class of devices that are connected directly to the car's cigarette lighter socket.
- To ensure the operation of more energy-intensive electronic devices such as a TV, coffee maker or microwave oven, devices with a capacity of 300 to 1500 watts are used. They are the most widespread. They are connected to the terminals of the car battery directly.
- To ensure the operation of energy-intensive devices, such as a power tool such as a drill or a grinder, use automotive voltage converters with a power exceeding 1500 watts. Such devices are often used when carrying out construction work in places remote from civilization.
- In general, the output power of the automotive voltage converter must exceed the total power of all consumers connected to it, otherwise overheating, fire or failure of this device may occur.
Criterias of choice
- The power of the voltage converter must correspond to the power of the car generator supplying the electrical network of the machine when the engine is running. In the event that the power of the inverter exceeds the power of the generator, the car battery will inevitably be discharged. When calculating this parameter, it is necessary to take into account that about half of the generator power supplied to the on-board network is spent on the energy supply of other vehicle systems.
- The power of the connected consumers in the starting mode must correspond to the nominal characteristics of the output current of the voltage converter, with an increase in power, a voltage drop occurs, and the operation of many devices is possible only at a strict voltage value of 220 volts.
- It is necessary to determine the area of use of the voltage converter. If it will only be used to recharge a smartphone or keep a laptop running, then a low-power, inexpensive model is quite suitable.
- The safety of using this type of device must be given the utmost attention, since if it overheats, it may cause fire and a fire in the car. It is better to purchase products from well-known manufacturers who equip their products with high-quality protection systems.